Browning shines again as Bengals top Vikings
CINCINNATI — Trailing 17-3 late in the third quarter behind an offense that had struggled to move the ball, the Bengals needed Jake Browning to be nearly perfect — and he was.
Browning led Cincinnati to three fourth-quarter touchdowns and directed the winning drive in overtime in his latest extraordinary performance since taking over for the injured Joe Burrow, and the Bengals beat the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 on Saturday to improve their position in the playoff race.
Browning won his third straight start and improved to 3-1 since Burrow suffered a season-ending right wrist injury in a loss at Baltimore. This time, he threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime, becoming the fourth QB in the past two years to throw for at least that many yards and two or more scores after three quarters.
“I feel like I need a beer,” said Browning, who beat a team that cut him from its practice squad two years ago.
Tee Higgins went high over a Vikings defender to catch a 16-yard pass from Browning and make a twisting move at the goal line for the tying touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation.
Then, in overtime, a scrambling Browning found Tyler Boyd for a 44-yard completion that got Cincinnati (8-6) into Vikings territory and set up Evan McPherson’s game-ending 29-yard field goal.
“Jake’s just so steady, you know?” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “He really is. He doesn’t get rattled by a negative play. He doesn’t overreact to it.”
Browning was 29 for 42 for 324 yards with two touchdowns — both to Higgins — and an interception. He completed passes to 11 receivers and has a 110.9 passer rating in his four starts..
Nick Mullens, the fourth quarterback to start a game this season for the Vikings, was solid in defeat. He passed for 303 yards with two TDs but threw two interceptions.
“An absolute grind of a football game,” Mullens said. “But those are the types of games you want to be in.”
Minnesota (7-7) has lost three of four, the only win in that stretch a 3-0 decision at Las Vegas that led to Joshua Dobbs being benched in favor of Mullens, who had more success finding the Vikings’ playmakers.
Jordan Addison had six catches for 111 yards and two TDs. Justin Jefferson had seven receptions for 84 yards in his first full game since returning from
a hamstring injury. He suffered a chest injury in the Raiders game.
“Nick did a fantastic job today,” Jefferson said. “Especially with just a week of preparation of him being the starting quarterback. I feel like he came out today with confidence.”
Backup Ty Chandler had a career-high 132 rushing yards and a touchdown for Minnesota. Chandler got the start in place of Alexander Mattison, who has a sprained ankle.
With five teams a halfgame behind them in the NFC standings, the Vikings could be out of playoff position by the end of the weekend.
“Very unfortunate,” Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said. “Come on the road and battle a team that’s playing well right now. Felt like we let one slip away.”
COLTS 30, STEELERS 13
INDIANAPOLIS — Gardner Minshew got the most out of his depleted supporting cast.
The Colts’ quarterback, himself a backup, made big plays with backup receivers. He got Indianapolis’ reserve running backs into play calls that would succeed. It was some of Minshew’s finest work of the season — perhaps of his entire career.
Minshew matched his career high with three touchdown passes, Indianapolis rushed for 170 yards and the Colts improved their playoff prospects with a win over the sagging Pittsburgh Steelers.
“We’ve needed to win these games and we’ve done a great job down the stretch,” Minshew said. “I think everybody was locked in, the urgency was there, the attention to details. At this point it’s all about winning games, however, you’ve got to get it done.”
Minshew and the Colts (8-6) have won five of six to move from the bottom of the AFC South into playoff contention. They currently hold the No. 7 position in the AFC, and they will remain there when this weekend’s games conclude because of tiebreakers.
They wouldn’t be in that spot without Minshew, who replaced injured rookie Anthony Richardson in Week 5. On Saturday, Minshew went 18 of 28 with 215 yards despite losing top receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to a concussion and top rusher Zack Moss to an injured right arm. Jonathan Taylor (right thumb), the 2021 NFL rushing champ, didn’t play, either.
The Steelers (7-7) dropped their third straight and fell into last place in the rugged AFC North, putting coach Mike Tomlin’s run of 16 straight seasons at .500 or better in jeopardy.
Pittsburgh took an early 13-0 lead behind backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who made his second start in place of the injured Kenny Pickett. But by late in the fourth quarter, the Colts had scored 30 consecutive points and third-stringer Mason Rudolph was slinging passes for the Steelers.
“Let’s be honest, we’re a fundamentally poor football team right now,” Tomlin said. “We’re playing losing football and I own that. I don’t necessarily have the answers today. If I did, we’d have played differently today. But I will acknowledge things will not continue the way that they are.”
Trubisky was 16 of 23 for 169 yards with one TD pass and two interceptions. Pittsburgh rushed for 74 yards and finished with 216 total yards.
The Steelers got off to a promising start when a replay review changed a fumble by Trubisky into a 1-yard TD run. Chris Boswell missed the extrapoint attempt. Six plays later, Pittsburgh capitalized on a blocked punt when Trubisky threw a 4-yard TD pass to Diontae Johnson early in the second quarter.